Fifa2010 making Football more than just a game of two halves
The first time a game allows you to press a button is often the Start menu. A legacy from the arcade days when machines would sit idly waiting for someone to play them, it feels outdated on home gaming. I already know what game I have selected and that I want to play it, I dont need a title screen or flashing "press start" to be the first interactive moment I have.
This start menu, and the loading screens that usually follow, are a barrier between the player and the game they want to play. Its why I am often surprised that some games begin with a series of menus and loading only to be followed by a long opening cutscene. In many games it can take over 10 minutes before the player is actually doing what they intended to do when they sat down.
Which is why it was a great relief to find out once I had put the Fifa disc into my console I was playing with in seconds. Before you are even at the menu screen the game presents you with a simple 1 on 1 game of Football called Arena mode.
This immediately allows the player to begin the game in a straightforward and non-competitive way. The player can feel out the controls and experiment without any pressure or fear of consequence.
Football is a team game so stripping away any team mates focuses the player on the most basic controls of moving and shooting.
As mentioned not only is this mode used to kick start the game (pun intended) it is also used to mask loading screens. This keeps the player in the game and even gives them a slight taste of the upcoming match as the player used is from his team.
What I love most about the Arena mode is that it really encourages experimentation. Without fear of losing the ball or running out of time I can attempt all kinds of over elebarote goals that would normally be impossible in an actual game; This improves my skill at the game and makes me a better player.
This may not be appropriate for every game but I think it shows a line of thinking that can be applicable to many games. Think about those moments that take the player out of the experience, the menus, the load screens even sometimes the cutscenes. How can you make those moments more immersive and engaging for the player, keeping them in that experience for longer.
EA Sports have successfully created the most fun loading screens since Ridge Racer and have given me the perfect environment to play and hone my skills without a fail state. I think more games should find ways of allowing the player to experience a free form play state, without the threat of failure. Perhaps Gran Turismo should start with a windy test track with the fastest car you own or the opening moment of street fighter be that infamous fight with a car.
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